Drums are conventionally made in cylindrical configurations with percussion heads extending over one or both of the ends of the cylinder. These prior art constructions are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,435,723, 3,603,194, 3,680,425, 4,045,264, 4,102,236, 4,184,407, and 4,356,756.
The present invention differs from the prior in that it provides for a method of making the drums' cylindrical body from a moldable material, such as fiberglass, and providing a low friction on the interior thereof. Also, the drum is provided with an opening in the cylindrical body, for enhancing the resonance, and a sound vibration baffle can also be positioned on the interior of the cylinder to direct vibrations toward the opening.
The consequence of the present invention is to provide a sturdy and lightweight drum, of various styles such as tenor drums, tom-tom drums, bass drums, snare drums, and all such styles of drums utilizing cylindrical bodies and the percussion type of drumhead.
By utilizing a moldable material, such as fiberglass or a plastic material, the drum of this invention can be readily and easily manufactured and is lightweight and extremely sturdy, and these features are achieved with a resulting drum which is of outstanding qualities for resonance. In accomplishing this, a low friction material, such as a coating of MYLAR which is a polyester and is a trademark of the E. I. DuPont de Nemours & Co., Inc., makes it possible to form the drum on a cylindrical mandrel and to then remove the formed drum by having the low friction material interposed between the moldable material and the mandrel so that the drum can be slid off the mandrel.
In considering the characteristics of drums, it should be understood that the cylindrical bodies are commonly made of extremely strong material, which may be either heavy or thick or expensive, all of which is undesirable, in order to have the cylindrical body withstand the tension applied thereto by the drumhead itself. However, with the cylindrical body of the present invention, the body is lightweight but yet sufficiently strong to withstand the force applied thereto by the drumhead of a special or modern design.
Low friction material, such as MYLAR, cannot be employed as a coating directly on a moldable material, such as fiberglass, and thus a special arrangement is devised by this invention, namely, that the MYLAR be a coating on paper which itself is then in contact with the fiberglass or the like. With that arrangement, the MYLAR coated paper will bond to the fiberglass, and thus the MYLAR can be employed to provide for the removal of the cured cylinder from the mandrel. Further, the MYLAR provides for enhanced resonance on the interior of the drum, where it is significant.